1. Field Of The Invention
This invention relates to a dispensing closure which is adapted to be affixed to the exterior of the neck or finish portion of a bottle. More particularly, this invention relates to a dispensing closure which includes a base cap with an opening therein and a pivotable closing member an end of which is pivotably received in a socket portion of the base cap and which is pivotable about an axis extending through such end between a first, closing position in which it closes the opening in the base cap and a second, dispensing position in which the opening in the base cap is open for product dispensing.
2. Description Of The Prior Art
As is known in the prior art, many types of dispensing closures have been developed for use with bottles to permit the dispensing of the contents of each such bottle through an opening in a closure which is attached to the bottle without the need for removing the closure from the bottle, while also providing for proper, non-dispensing closing of the bottle by a proper manipulation of an element of the closure, while the closure is still on the bottle. See, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,533,058 (A. P. Uhlig) for a type of dispensing closure which is known in the prior art.
Another type of dispensing closure which is known in the prior art is the so-called turret type, a version of which is illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 4,441,637 (S.M. Libit). A dispensing closure of this type is provided with a base cap, which is usually manufactured from a thermoplastic material and which is adapted to be affixed to the exterior of a bottle, usually by a threaded connection therebetween, and is further provided with a closure member which is pivotably frictionally received in a socket in the base cap and which, when it is in an upright position, uncovers an opening in the base cap for dispensing of the contents of the container through such opening. When the closure member is pivoted away from its upright, dispensing position to a reclined, horizontal position, usually within a recess of the base cap, a plug portion carried by such closure member closes the opening in the base cap and effectively closes the package that includes such dispensing closure. However, certain problems have risen with respect to dispensing closures of the type shown in the aforesaid U.S. Pat. No. 4,441,637 with respect to the closure member popping out of the socket of the base cap, since the plug portion carried by the closure member acts as the fulcrum of the closure member when it enters into the opening in the base cap, thus imposing rather high leverage loadings on the connection between the socket portion of the base cap and the end portion of the closure member that is pivotably received therein.